What Does The Future Hold?
by Ben Barrett
Summary: The boys discuss what the future might be like while Stan and Kyle deal with their feelings toward each other. StanXKyle. Mild slash.
1. Animal Friend

**A Note From Ben: This is a different kind of story, as it is actually several different stories told by different characters, but is really a single fanfic with a central plot. I think you may also notice a reference to a fanfic written by **_**someone else**_**. This is not an attempt to cash in on someone else's success, but a way of showing respect. So if this **_**certain writer **_**happens to read this fic and recognizes slight references to their work, it's because I respect them. That is all. Enjoy.  
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**Disclaimer: I own none of this. I don't own South Park, the episode "Marjorine", or any books, stories, movies, songs, or other works that may be mentioned in this chapter or those that will be published later.  
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**What Does The Future Hold?**

By Ben Barrett

**Chapter One – Animal Friend**

_A blast the size of an atomic bomb rocks the forest. Small animals scurry for the safety of their dens, frightened by the noise. There is a strong smell of burning wood and lighter fluid accompanied by an intense heat, the likes of which has never been felt in this place. Then, it is gone. _

_A group of boys stands in the clearing, staring at the black mark on the ground where a tree stump had been only moments before. They linger here for a moment or two, amazed at what they have done. One can almost feel the adrenaline and testosterone in the air as they bask in the feeling that only blowing something up can bring to a boy._

_Finally, they turn to leave. One by one, they realize their work is done and drift away toward their own homes until only two remain: a young man in a red and blue poof ball hat and his ever-faithful friend, who wears a green ushanka. The animals who cautiously watch know the real names of these two humans, but do not understand them. They know that the one in the red and blue hat has been a friend to many of their kind; they have given him the name "Animal Friend". The other, they call "Loyal One", for his unwavering loyalty to Animal Friend._

"_We did the right thing," Loyal One says, putting a hand on his shoulder._

"_I know," says Animal Friend, "nobody should know the future. I can't help but wonder, though…"_

"_Dude, it's over. Come on, let's go home."_

_So, Animal Friend goes with him, retreating into the trees behind them, unaware that they are being watched and scrutinized by all forms of forest life. The squirrels in the trees, the rabbits in their dens, the deer cowering shyly in the thickets; all of them know Animal Friend, and they all know his secret. He has, on several occasions, sat in this very forest, confessing the deepest and most desperate desires of his heart to those he knew would not and could not ever repeat them._

_Tonight, their hearts go out to him, for he has told them several times of his love for Loyal One and his sadness that such a love will never be returned. They see them walking alone and can sense that Animal Friend desperately wishes to take the hand of the other in his own, a sign of great affection for humans. They do not help him, for it is not in their nature to interfere in these matters; to mingle in the affairs of humans is to disrupt the natural order of things._

"_Stan," says Loyal One as they near the edge of the forest, "are you okay?"_

"_Yeah," says Animal Friend with a reassuring smile. "I'm okay, Kyle."_

_Loyal One smiles back and pats his friend on the back before turning to walk out of the forest. The animals smile with him, for in that moment they sense his love for Animal Friend and realize that the two are what they call "Destined Mates". They are meant to be._

* * *

The next day Stan sits with his three friends in his living room, playing _Terrance and Phillip: The Game _on Gamesphere. Stan and Kyle had called dibs on the two main characters before the other two could get a word in, so Cartman and Kenny were stuck playing as Ugly Bob and Scott. 

"I hate being Scott!" Cartman whines. He has just been blown up for the twenty-third time. "Scott is a dick!"

"So are you, fat ass," Kyle says.

"Oh, yeah?" screams the other boy, turning to give him an angry look. "Well I think you're a God damn fucking Jew-rat!"

"Up yours, you fat fuck! I'll…"

Stan hears no more of the fight. He gets up from the couch and goes into the kitchen, where he puts his head down and tries to block everything out. After a minute or two, his friends notice this and abandon their argument to come to his side.

"Dude, what's wrong?" Kyle asks.

"I don't want to talk about it," comes the muffled response.

"Come on, Stan," Cartman says, "what the hell is wrong with you?"

Stan raises his head and looks at his friends. They are all staring at him with looks of concern on their faces.

"I'm just worried about the future," he says finally.

"The future?" Kenny asks. "What about it?"

"Well," Stan replies, "what's gonna happen to all of us? Will we be friends ten years from now or will we all be off doing our own thing? Will we all still live in South Park? Will I ever…?"

"Will you ever _what_?" Kyle queries.

"Nothing."

"Well, I know what's gonna happen to Kyle," Cartman says with a smirk on his face. "He's gonna be one of those hippie artists who pops Vicodin pills all day long and paints pictures of demons."

"Fuck you, Cartman! You'll be in prison for hate crimes before you learn to drive!"

"Ay! Fuck _you_! Bet you'll never sell a painting!"

"I don't _want _to paint for a living, you chunk of ass fat!"

"Guys!" Stan cries, banging his fist on the table and nipping the argument in the bud. "Can we _not _do this today?"

Kyle and Cartman looked shocked at his outburst, but say nothing more.

"Well, what do you think the future's gonna be like, Stan?' Kenny asks after a minute or two of awkward silence.

Stan's head immediately fill with images of a long life with Kyle. He sees them kissing, dating…getting married…

"I…I don't know," he says too quickly to be convincing. Kyle gives him a look that tells him his best friend _knows _he's hiding something.

"I've got an idea," he says slyly, "why don't we all go around the table and talk about what we think the future's gonna be like? It could be fun."

Stan shoots him a look that says "you bastard", but does not voice this opinion out of fear of giving too much away. Kyle shoots one back that says "deal with it" and picks Kenny as the first story-teller.

"Well," says Kenny, "first of all, I think in the future I'm gonna be so rich…"

**The next chapter will focus around Kenny's ideas of the future and Stan and Kyle's secret desires for each other.**


	2. The Greatest Moment Of Their Lives

**Chapter Two – The Greatest Moment of Their Lives**

Kenny stands in the entry hall of his large, expensive home, taking it all in. It took the builders over a year to complete it, but it was finally done. He looks around at the gold-plated suits of armor, the chandelier that's bigger than the house he grew up in, and the pure marble pillars that go up four floors to support the ceiling. Everything about this house was paid for in cash, and it's all his.

He thinks back on an old friend of his who used to make fun of him because of his poverty as a child and chuckles a bit to himself. He sure wasn't laughing at Kenny _now_, was he? No, he was shivering his fat ass off under a bridge or something, too poor to afford his own place and too short-tempered and stupid to hold a job.

How had things ended up this way? Oh, it was a beautiful thing, really. While "the poor boy" had worked his ass off in high school to get the best grades possible, Cartman had spent most of his time devising plans to torture Kyle or get one over on somebody who had outsmarted him. With all the time he had spent being an evil asshole, Eric Theodore Cartman never had time to do much homework. So, while Kenny had gone off to an Ivy League school and gotten a degree, his pudgy friend had worked every fast food joint in town.

The irony of the whole thing puts a wide smile on Kenny's face. What a stupid jackass.

There is a knock on the front door, bringing him out of his thoughts. He doesn't move, however; he has servants who answer the door for him. Sure enough, a few seconds later, a gangly man in a tuxedo comes through the hall and opens it.

"Yeeeeeessss?" he says, staring down his nose at whoever's on the other side.

"Hi," a familiar voice says, "we're here to see Kenny."

The servant, whom Kenny has dubbed "Dickhead", looks down on this person as though they're a bug he has just scraped off his shoe.

"_Mr. McCormick _is quite busy at the moment," he says. "If you'd like to make an appointment, you can call his secretary and _Mr. McCormick _might be able to fit you in some time next year."

"But we _do _have an appointment, asshole!" replies the mysterious visitor as the door is about to be slammed in his face.

"Oh, _really_?" Dickhead sneers. "And who might _you _be?"

"Stan Marsh and Kyle Brovlofski!"

Kenny is beside himself with laughter now. He goes to the door and signals for Dickhead to take a hike. He embraces his friends, who have not changed much over the years. The old hats are gone, so Stan's mane of shaggy black hair and Kyle's Jew-fro are clearly visible, and their clothes are a little more adult, but other than that they look exactly as Kenny remembers them.

He embraces them both and ushers them into the house, not bothering to point anything out as he leads them to the sitting room. Though rich he may be, Kenny remembers his roots and is by no means a snob or a show-off.

* * *

"This is complete bullcrap, Kenny!" Cartman says, interrupting. "There's no chance in hell you're gonna be richer than me! And what's all this crap about gold-plated suits of armor?"

"Fuck you!" Kenny says. "It's _my _story!"

"Yeah, Cartman," Stan agrees, "let him finish."

* * *

Kyle and Stan are led into a room adorned with couches that have transparent plastic fabric. This was done, obviously, so people can see that the furniture in this room is stuffed with money.

"Wow, Kenny," Stan says. "You're house is really something."

"Thank you, Stan," he says.

Kenny motions for them all to have a seat, which is rather awkward for them, as neither Kyle nor Stan have ever sat on money furniture before. They look to Kenny expectantly.

"Well," he says after a minute, "I suppose you're wondering why I called you here,"

"A little bit, actually," Kyle says.

"Yeah," Stan says, "we were actually surprised when we got your call. We haven't heard from you since high school."

After high school, Stan and Kyle both went off to a college on the east coast. They had applied to the same schools in the hopes that one of them, at the very least, would accept them both. This had worked very well, and they had stayed together all these years, though Kyle had majored in History while Stan had gone on to become the star football player on campus, like everyone knew he would. Somewhere along the lines, they had lost contact with most of their childhood friends.

"Well, I'll tell ya," Kenny says cheerfully, "I always thought about you guys and I always meant to look you up, I've just never had the time. I mean, we've been friends our whole lives…"

"That's true," Stan says, "but we all have our own lives now. Most childhood friends drift apart when they grow up. It's just a part of life."

"You guys didn't."

Stan and Kyle look at each other. Something passes between them and Kenny knows right away that there's something they haven't told him. It doesn't matter, however, because he already knows their secret. When they went off to college, Kenny made sure he kept up with the gossip on their campus by visiting chat rooms and message boards for the school. One thing he had discovered is that these two were at least rumored to be a gay couple by most of the people who were there with them. After a year or so, the rumors suddenly weren't rumors anymore; Stan and Kyle had come out.

* * *

"No!" Stan cries. "This is where _I _draw the line, Kenny!"

Kenny looks at him, then back at Kyle and breaks out laughing. Soon, Cartman joins him, enjoying the angry and uncomfortable looks on their faces.

"Come on, guys," Kenny says through his laughter, "you guys would make the cutest couple."

"_Shut up, Kenny!"_ Stan and Kyle scream at the same time.

"Can I at least finish my story?"

"Does it involve us being gay?" Kyle demands angrily.

"Well, I'll lay off the references," he says, "but since I already put it in…"

"Forget it then," Stan says. "Who's turn is it next?"

"Mine!" Cartman demands.

"Oh, great," Kyle says. "I'll end up buried in a shallow grave somewhere and _he'll _end up exterminating all the Jews."

"Don't put words in my mouth, Kyle!"

"Doesn't anyone want to find out why I invited Stan and Kyle to my mansion?" Kenny asks.

_"NO!" _Stan and Kyle both bellow.

Before long, all four boys are arguing. Kenny is telling anyone who will listen how he's been cheated again and that his story was just getting good, Cartman and Kyle are yelling back and forth at each other, and Stan is just standing there watching it. He's beginning to lose his temper and it shows in his face. Finally, after three minutes of this, he snaps and declares to everyone that it's time for a break.

He storms out of the house and sits cross-legged on the grass, fuming. After a minute or two, Kyle comes slowly out of the house and sits down beside him. They look at each other, find it awkward, and look away.

"Look, Stan," Kyle says, "about what Kenny said in there…"

"It was something I would expect from Cartman," Stan snarls.

"Yeah, no kidding."

Kyle twiddles his thumbs, thinking carefully over his next words before proceeding.

"Look, dude, I don't want it to be awkward between us," he says. "We're Super Best Friends, right? Just because Kenny thinks we'd be cute as a gay couple doesn't mean anything. If anything, it means he's got serious issues and needs to be checked out. I wouldn't take him seriously."

"So….there's nothing else there for sure?" Stan asks.

Kyle gives him a sympathetic look. He can imagine how hard it was for his completely straight friend to ask such a question. Still, _he's _not ready to come out with his feelings just yet. He loves Stan with all his heart, but at this point in his life, he doesn't see himself confessing that to him. God knows, he would hate to ruin such a perfect friendship.

"Nothing," he lies.

Stan smiles, but deep inside he is crushed. He had wanted Kyle to say he was wrong. He had wanted him to say it _so much_. Still, if Kyle felt nothing but friendship for him, then he wasn't going to make it weird by telling him his true feelings. At this point in his life, he doesn't see himself confessing his love to Kyle. God knows, he would hate to ruin such a perfect friendship.

"Let's go inside," he says with a false smile.

"Sure thing, buddy," Kyle says with a false smile.

They walk back into the house to continue their game, not realizing they just let what could have been the greatest moment of their lives pass them by.

**That's it for another chapter. The next one will be up in a few days or so. I learned after **_**Analyzing Kyle **_**that, though posting on a daily basis can be fun, it leaves very little time for people to read the story and give feedback.**

**The next chapter will focus on Cartman's version of the future (God help us all!) and will delve deeper into Stan and Kyle's secret love for one another.**


	3. Insecure

**A Note From Ben: Well, I know I said this chapter wouldn't be up for a few days, but I couldn't resist. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far and I hope that I can count on your continued support.**

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**Chapter Three – Insecure**

"Okay, Cartman," Kyle says patiently, "you only get to tell this story on one condition."

"What's that, Jew?"

"_That!"_ Kyle barks. "None of that _right there!_ No mocking Jews, exterminating Jews, killing me off in brutal ways, or bombing synagogues."

"Well, gee, Kyle," Cartman replies with a smirk, "you sure know how to take the fun out of everything…"

"And no gay Kyle and Stan!" Stan says suddenly, making everyone turn to look at him.

"Somebody's a little insecure," Cartman remarks with a slight chuckle. "Now my future I see as totally kick ass…"

* * *

Cartman sits in the back room of the bar, dressed in his best custom-made Italian suit. The air is thick with smoke from the cigarettes of the idiot standing in front of him. God, he hates cigarettes with a passion!

"Tell me again why I shouldn't kill you right here," he says with a condescending smile.

A pistol rests in his hand, cocked and ready to blow the stupid asshole's head off if he should so much as blink the wrong way. Eric Cartman has been the head of the mob for the past ten years and has loved every minute of it. His name is feared far and wide, especially among the dirty fucking Jews.

"W-well, gee boss," the blond henchman says, fidgeting and shifting stupidly from one foot to the other, "I didn't know it'd cause trouble. I-I thought it was illegal to refuse service to someone just cause of their religion."

"God damn it, Butters!" the mob boss screams back, waving the gun madly. "You served _Jews _in my bar! _Jews_, Butters! This place is crawling with Jew-germs now! Do you realize how much it's gonna cost me to get this place disinfected?"

"W-well, no, boss," Butters says nervously.

"More than your life is worth to me," he says, pointing the gun directly at Butters' forehead now.

Butters tenses up when the barrel of the pistol pushes against his forehead. There is a foul odor and the crotch of his pants are suddenly soaked; he has pissed himself in fear. Cartman makes a disgusted noise and pulls the trigger, putting an end to the life of yet another employee. That was the third one this week, and the disappearances are getting hard to cover up, but he can't help himself.

"Get rid of the body," he says to two thugs who come busting into the room after the gun goes off. "God knows I don't need that fucking Detective McCormick over at the police station breathing down my neck any harder."

Without a word, the two men grab Butters by the arms and drag him out like a sack of potatoes.

"And get someone in here to clean up the evidence!" he screams after them, before fishing his cell phone from his pocket. He hits a speed dial button and puts the phone to his ear as it starts to ring. One ring, two rings, three rings. God damn it, if his fucking secretary couldn't answer the phone any faster, she'd find herself sharing a shallow grave with Butters!

"Cartman's office," she says after the fifth ring.

"What the hell took you so long, goddamit?" he barks into the phone.

"Sorry, Mr. Cartman," says the frightened woman. She knows Cartman's reputation and fears for her life at this moment. "I was making copies of some paperwork…"

"Never mind," he says angrily, "I don't care about your damn excuses. I want you to put an ad in the paper for another bar manager. I'm afraid Butters didn't work out very well."

He hangs up before she can say another word and leaves the bar. He climbs into his waiting limousine and tells the driver to take him to his "whore pit". The driver nods and speeds away, knowing full well what had happened to the last chauffeur who had failed to get Mr. Cartman to his destination fast enough. On the other hand, the one before _that _had gone too fast and had caused the boss to spill his drink on one of his favorite suits. Shit, he needs a new job.

They arrive at what Cartman calls his "whore pit" fifteen minutes later. Cartman checks his watch and is most displeased. He should have been here thirty second earlier. Oh, this stupid driver was going to pay.

"Marsh!" he screams at him.

"Yessir?" the driver says nervously.

"I'm reassigning you, effective immediately," he declares sadistically. "Your new job will be explained to you by my goons."

Two goons walk around the car. One jerks open the driver's side door and pulls Stan Marsh violently from his seat. The other opens Cartman's door and helps him out. The mob boss watches gleefully as Stan is restrained and dragged into the "whore pit", which is nothing more than an abandoned factory that Cartman purchased and turned into what can honestly be described as a "sexual arena". He often puts people who piss him off and force them into awkward and embarrassing situations for his own amusement.

Cartman walks through the main gates and up to the main building. He can hear the cheers of the crowd inside, and he smiles. Most of his clientele, each of which pay $20 a pop to get in, and then spend a fortune more on obscenely large bets, are mostly drug dealers, murderers, and other lowly forms of life.

"Suckers," he says. He is pleased by the roar of the crowd, for it sounds very large today, and he knows the golden rule of gambling: the house _always _wins.

He walks through his own private entrance at the side of the building, then up a flight of red-carpeted stairs to his private balcony. When he emerges and looks down on the audience, he gives them a salute that would have made Hitler proud, which causes them to roar in approval.

"Today, we have a special treat for you," he says. "I'd like to introduce our newest slice of meat: Stan Marsh."

Stan is led out by a chain and is wearing nothing but a loin cloth. He looks up defiantly and Cartman and flips him off.

"So, this one has a little bit of a backbone," he says with an amused laugh. "Perhaps we can do something about that. Bring out THE JEW!"

A great booing sound comes from the crowd as someone Stan recognizes right away is brought out at gunpoint.

"Kyle!" he cries, trying to run to him. The guards holding him give his chain a jerk and he is pulled onto his back. He lays there a minute, massaging his neck and listening to the crowd continue to boo them.

"Now, now," Cartman says from above. "Not so fast. You've gotta please the crowd, and that means doing what _we _say, not whatever the hell you want. So the first thing I want you to do is walk over and kiss your Jew…."

* * *

"God damn it, Cartman!" Kyle screams. "That _is not _the future!"

"And you promised not to mock Jews or kill off Kyle," Kenny said.

"And I said not to put in gay Kyle and Stan!" Stan cries.

Cartman looks angry at this. Apparently, he was enjoying his fantasy very much and doesn't appreciate being interrupted. He fixes Kyle with a look that could melt ice, but Kyle doesn't back down.

"No, Cartman," he says, shaking his head.

"You're an oversensitive _Jew asshole_," he says, and then turning to Stan, he screams, "_and you! _ You've gotta get over this I'm-not-gay-with-Kyle thing. You're so touchy about it that it's almost stupid of you not to see that you _are_!"

"Th-that's got to be the stupidest thing you've ever said," Stan replies, rather unconvincingly. This causes Kyle to give him a questioning look, which he pretends to ignore.

"Keep lying to yourself, then," Cartman sneers.

Stan looks down at the floor, feeling his face redden. He can feel everyone's eyes on him, especially Kyle's.

"Wh-who's turn is it?" he asks when he finally looks up. It is a sad attempt at trying to change the subject, but it seems to get everyone to stop staring at him.

"Mine," Kyle says, "but I don't want to take it right now. I need to talk to you first."

"Oh, are the young lovers going to have a fight?" Cartman mocks.

"Shut the hell up, Cartman!" the young Jew screams.

Kyle grabs Stan by the arm and drags him off down the hallway. They get as far away from the kitchen as they can before they stop and regard each other for a minute. Kyle looks extremely confused, while the expression on Stan's face suggests that he'd much rather be licking Cartman's fat ass than have the conversation they were about to have…again.

"Dude," Kyle says awkwardly, "I thought we agreed that there was nothing between us."

"We did."

"Then why are you acting like this?"

Stan couldn't answer. He cast his eyes to the ground again, unable to look his friend in the eyes. How could he tell him that he was madly in love with him, or that he felt more strongly for him than he had ever felt for Wendy?

"I dunno," he lies, feeling his stomach clench in guilt. No matter how many times he did it, it never got any easier to lie to his best friend. "I guess it's just embarrassing that both of our friends think we're gay."

"I don't think they _actually _thought we were gay until you started acting all insecure," Kyle replies, rather irritated. "I think Kenny was just trying to be funny, and he's a sick freak anyway. As for Cartman, well….it's Cartman, dude. He loves to rip on us."

Stan nods and gives his friend a weak smile, hoping it will be enough to convince him a second time.

"You're right, dude," he says, "Sorry."

"All right."

Stan fixes Kyle with a smile that nearly turns his knees to rubber. He composes himself quickly, hoping his friend didn't notice. They walk back to the kitchen together in silence while Kyle seriously thinks over everything that has happened today. He can't help but think that Stan is hiding something from him. Could it be that Stan likes him, too? No, of course not; that's just stupid….isn't it?

_Yeah, it's stupid, _his inner voice tells him, _but you know you want it to be true._

_Boy, do I ever, _he thinks longingly.

**That's it for now. The next chapter will focus on Kyle's future. It will also, as you have come to expect, deal with Stan and Kyle's feelings for each other…and someone finds out someone else's secret.**


	4. Secret Revealed

**A Note From Ben: You can thank Brat-Child3 for the melancholy writing in this one, honestly you can. I read some of her stories the night before I wrote this, and I was SO sad, I put **_**Suicide Is Painless **_**on repeat for over an hour and just stewed. Afterwards, my head cleared and I was suddenly inspired. So, this chapter is dedicated to Brat-Child3 for making me sad enough to know what to do next. :D**

**Also: Sorry if I've used the whole prayer thing in two stories now. I'm not a religious person, really, but a quick word with whatever deity a character believes in can really help with plot development.  
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**Chapter Four - Secret Revealed**

Kyle and Stan walk back into the kitchen and sit down as though nothing ever happened, hoping that their friends will just shrug it off and forget about it. They figure that Kenny probably won't say anything, but Cartman on the other hand is quite the asshole. Surprisingly enough, though, he either chooses not to rip on them or can't think of anything else insulting to say.

"Got it all sorted out?" Kenny asks, giving them a knowing look.

"Yeah," Stan says, "it's all sorted out."

"Then I guess it's Kyle's turn," the hooded boy says.

Kyle, however, says nothing. He is just sitting there, looking down at the table top and not paying any attention to anyone. Kenny snaps his fingers in front of his face, but Kyle does not respond.

"Kyle!" Stan says loudly, causing his friend to jerk up suddenly, as if he had been asleep.

"Huh? Oh, yeah," he says finally. "My story…"

Kyle does not want to do this anymore. All he sees when he pictures the future is him and Stan, and he obviously can't talk about that. What is he supposed to say? It's hard to make up a story not involving a certain person when your head is filled with nothing _but _that person.

"Okay," he starts, "here goes…."

* * *

Kyle stands in his office staring out the window that overlooks the city of South Park. He has only been mayor of the town for a few weeks, and already he feels the pressure building. Can he really do this job? He only ran because Stan had supported him through the whole thing. Hell, he had even been his campaign manager, and Stan knew _nothing _about politics.

_I can do this,_ he tells himself. _I can do this._

There is a soft knock on the door behind him and his secretary comes quietly in. He turns and looks at her, unsmiling. He had given specific orders that he was _not _to be disturbed today!

"What is it?" he asks coldly.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, Mayor Brovlofski, but there's a man here to see you. He says it's really urgent."

Kyle is pissed. _This _was the reason she had disobeyed his orders? Oh, she'd be on unemployment by the end of the….

"It's…it's Mr. Marsh, sir," she says nervously.

He brightens at this.

"Tell him to come in! I'll see him immediately!"

She bows out of the office and closes the door behind her. Kyle feels happier than he has all day long. _Stan _was here! The door behind him opens again and a man his own age with shaggy black hair comes in, smiling at him.

"Hey, Kyle," he says.

"Hey, yourself," Kyle replies, embracing his Super Best Friend. "I've missed…."

* * *

Kyle stops himself suddenly when he realizes what he's been doing. His face reddens and he looks around at his friends, who do not seem to have noticed anything out of the ordinary. Kenny and Cartman are both staring back at him, waiting for him to continue, and Stan….

"Where's Stan?" Kyle demands when he sees his friend's empty chair.

"He left and went to his room about the time you were saying he knows nothing about politics," Cartman says. "You probably pissed him off, Jew."

"SHUT UP!" Kyle roars, storming out of the kitchen.

"Geez, what bug crawled up your ass?"

Kyle ignores him and rushes across the house. When he reaches the stairs, he suddenly slows down and walks in a much quieter fashion. If Stan is upset over something or doing something extremely private, he doesn't want to make the situation worse by making it seem like he's pissed off.

He reaches the second floor and walks up to Stan's door, but does not knock or open it. He can hear him speaking to someone inside…

"Please, God," Stan is saying, "_Please!"_

Kyle feels terrible about eavesdropping on his friend, especially when he's conversing with God, but he's desperate at this point. He _has _to know why Stan is acting so strange.

"Kyle is my best friend," Stan continues, "and I love him. But I don't _want _to love him _that way_! Can't you make it stop?"

There is silence as Stan waits for some kind of response. Kyle's jaw drops as he realizes what's been going on: _Stan loves him back!_ It's a dream come true for him, and he wants desperately to throw the door open and run to him, to tell him it's okay.

"I don't _want _to be gay!" Stan cries. "I don't want it! I don't want to walk beside him and have to fight back the urge to hold his hand all the time. I don't want to ruin our friendship."

Kyle's heart sinks and he can't stand to listen to anymore. He walks back downstairs with his head spinning like a top. He loves Stan with every fiber of his being, and now he knows that Stan loves him back. The problem was, Stan didn't _want _to love him like that. Jesus, could life get any more complicated? What the hell was he supposed to do about this?

He reaches the kitchen and notices with relief that Kenny and Cartman have let themselves out. He has to talk to Stan about this when he comes back down, but doesn't want to make it any weirder than it has to be, and God knows it's going to be _plenty _weird.

Stan walks into the kitchen a few minutes later and flashes him a smile that, only five minutes earlier, would have been convincing.

"Where are the guys?" he asks.

"Gone," Kyle replies. "Stan, we have to talk."

Stan frowns but sits down in the chair across from him. He can tell by the tone of his voice that this is something that he should not take lightly.

"What is it, Ky?" he asks.

"Stan," Kyle says after taking a deep breath, "I…I…."

"What?"

"I heard you…upstairs."

A look forms on Stan's face that is a cross between horror and rage. He is most definitely not happy to hear this.

"You were _eavesdropping _on me?"

"Not on purpose! I went upstairs to check on you because I was worried, and I overheard you. I didn't mean to, Stan!"

Stan shakes his head and pinches the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.

"And?"

"Stan," Kyle says, "I feel the same way about you….but….if you're not willing, then I don't want it."

"Kyle…"

"No, Stan! I heard you and you meant it. You know you did. If I thought for one second that you'd be happy being together…"

A tear rolls down Kyle's face. This is tearing him up, and with every word, he wants to give up, recant, and fall into Stan's arms. He knows he can't, though; they would be living a lie. Until Stan actually _wants _to love him, it has to be this way.

"Kyle," Stan says gently, "I didn't mean for you to find out this way. I was planning on telling you…one day. I've had these feelings for you for awhile. Sometimes I'd go to the forest and vent all my frustrations about this to the animals because I couldn't tell you, and _you're _the only person I go to with my problems."

"So you love me?"

"Y-yeah."

"But you don't want to."

"…No."

Kyle closed his eyes and fought back the stream of tears that were threatening to come now. He knew after his next words, he wouldn't be able to hold them off anymore, but he at least needed to get _that _out.

"Then," he said, swallowing hard, "we need to take a break from each other."

"WHAT?" Stan cries, his eyes becoming as wide as baseballs. "You don't want to be friends anymore??"

"No, no," Kyle moans, the tears now running freely down his face. He reaches out without thinking and puts his hand on Stan's. They both look down, then back up into each other's eyes. They link their fingers together and smile at each other through the tears they are both shedding now. "We just need to get away from each other….until….these feelings go away…."

"I understand," Stan says.

They get up from the table and embrace each other, where they remain for almost an hour, crying on each others' shoulders.

* * *

Kyle and Stan stopped hanging around with each other after that. They decided they'd give it a few days and see what happened. They still waved to each other in the hallways, or flash an occasional smile across a crowded room, but there were no phone calls or sleepovers. After one week turned into a month, the waving and the smiles stopped, too. After the month turned into a year, their lives started going in separate directions and they didn't even see each other but for once in a great while. Finally, after one year turned into seven, they each had their own new social groups and had all but forgotten their boyhood days….and each other.**  
**

* * *

**Another chapter over with, and what a sad one it was! It's not over, though, so you don't have to cry into your pillows and mourn a lost love that should have been. There's **_**still **_**a chance for them. Stay tuned!**


	5. Collision Course

**Chapter Five – Collision Course**

_**Ten Years In The Future….**_

_The animals of the forest know that Animal Friend needs their help, for his visits are not as frequent as they used to be and they are _never _with Loyal One. In fact, Animal Friend never even mentions his companion anymore. At first, the animals dismiss this as the child maturing into a man, but they soon realize that they are very wrong._

_There is sadness in his eyes that he doesn't even realize is there anymore. He has forgotten Loyal One, his "Destined Mate". This displeases them very much, for they know that they must now go against their own laws and get involved in human affairs. The act itself is forbidden, but the boy has done so much for them over the years, they feel it their obligation to return the favor._

_It is time to reunite Animal Friend and Loyal One._

* * *

Nineteen-year old Stan Marsh steps out of his house and into another brittle cold South Park morning. He has not changed much over the last ten years. He still has a mane of shaggy black hair, though he brushes it out of his eyes more often now that he no longer wears a poof ball hat. He is also about three feet taller and a little leaner in the face, but other than that, he is the same old Stan.

This morning, Stan is on his way to his job at Shakey's Pizza, which he only does to make sure the car he rarely drives has gas and insurance. He hates his job more than words can express, especially since he always saw himself going off to college somewhere and never looking back at this crappy little town.

_Guess I learned about fucking off in school,_ he thinks bitterly as a strong gust of wind hits him and he is forced to clutch his dark brown trench coat closer to his body.

He turns out of his neighborhood and heads toward the main street of town, which has by this point in history been destroyed and rebuilt over forty times. He scoffs as he considers this; he doesn't know why they even fucking bother anymore.

"Stupid assholes," he says bitterly.

He checks his dollar store watch and groans. He's still got an hour before he has to be at Shakey's and he's out here in this bitter cold, freezing his balls off. He forgot to adjust his alarm clock for Daylight Savings Time again.

"Fuck!" he shouts. "Fuck fuckity fuck fuck fuck!"

At this point, he's already showered and awake, so there's no point in going home and going back to bed. He decides to head down to Stark's Pond, the old familiar haunt from his childhood, and kill some time. He isn't sure why he suddenly wants to do this; he hasn't been to Stark's since he was thirteen. Still, it's better than standing here on the sidewalk like a fucking moron or showing up for work an hour early.

He retraces his steps back through the residential area of town and follows his street past his old bus stop, where a new group of kids stands. One kid in particular stands out in his mind: a fat, angry looking, and mean little shit. He is mocking another kid in a green and blue hat when Stan walks up.

"Stupid Jew!" the fat kid says. "Jews aren't allowed to wear colors!"

"That's the Amish, you fat dick!" the kid in the hat says.

Stan walks on, not wanting to stand and stare at a group of grade-schoolers for too long. At his age, behavior like that could get him arrested. As he hurries along, however, his mind is racing. Something about that seemed oddly familiar to him, but try as he might, he cannot think of why. He seems to almost remember once, but the memory escapes him at the last possible minute.

He arrives at Stark's Pond and sits on a hollow log by the water. As he sits watching the water ripple and move with the breeze, emotions deep within him begin to trigger and he suddenly feels unbearably sad.

"What is _wrong _with me today?" he asks himself. "Jesus Christ, the way I'm acting, you'd think I'd lost my best friend or….

_Thanks for saving us, Stan. You're _my_ Super Best Friend._

Stan's hand goes up to cover his mouth and his eyes close tightly as a familiar face suddenly appears in his mind, along with a name.

_Kyle._

He doesn't know why he suddenly remembers his boyhood best friend. God knows they haven't talked in years. The last time they even saw each other, it was at their high school graduation, and it wasn't so much "them" seeing "each other" as it was Stan seeing Kyle get up to give the Valedictorian speech.

"But this is the first time I've actually thought about him," Stan says sadly.

What happened to them? Stan doesn't recall at all. Perhaps they just grew apart and got their own lives or something. That was so long ago, and so much has happened since then that Stan honestly can't remember.

"Damn it all to hell," he says, picking up a rock and chunking it at the pond. It skips several times across the water before going under with a splash.

He is beginning to feel stressed, which is the last thing he needs today. God knows he's on thin enough ice with his boss already, and another stress-related incident with a customer would probably result in him getting fired. He lights up a cigarette, not giving a fuck about his asthma at the moment, and drags deeply upon it before exhaling with a satisfied sigh.

"Fucking stress will kill me before these things do," he says getting to his feet. He suddenly doesn't want to be at Stark's Pond anymore.

He checks his watch, sees he's only managed to kill about twenty minutes, and decides to head back toward town. Maybe he'll grab a cup of coffee or something and spend some time talking to that hot little waitress down at the café. She's always been pleasant enough company, and she always knows how to make him laugh even when he doesn't want to.

_Nice girl, _he thinks to himself, _but not my type._

Come to think about it, no girl has ever been _his type. _He's always managed to find some imperfection in every girl he's ever dated, and has used it as a reason to dump every one of them. He's never even slept with any of them, though he's been asked by one or two. The truth of the matter is, no matter how hot they may be, he just doesn't find himself attracted to them.

He shakes his head to clear away his thoughts and begins to walk away from the pond, but before he can get very far he hears a sound that makes his blood run cold: the roar of a very big animal. He turns slowly around and sees an extremely pissed-off bear charging right at him.

"Oh, shit!" he cries as he breaks into a run. "Oh, shit! Oh, shit!"

He runs as fast as he can, praying silently to whatever Powers That Be that this thing will turn and go look for something else before his asthma gets the better of him. He jumps over a fence into someone's back yard and cuts across the carefully manicured grass, not giving a rat's dick if it messes up the owner's chances of being in _Better Homes and Gardens_. He is about halfway across when, out of the corner of his eye, he spots the irritated pit bull that guards this lawn running at him.

He tries to make his body move faster, but can't manage no matter how hard he tries. It could have something to do with his jump over a six-foot fence, his asthma, or his smoking, but regardless of the reason, when he orders his body to suck it up and move faster, it tells him to go and fuck himself.

"I'm gonna die," he pants. "Gonna die, gonna die, gonna die!"

He is three-quarters of the way across the yard now, but the dog is gaining on him quickly. As it gets close enough to take a chunk out of his leg, however, the bear crashes through the fence behind him. The dog, sensing a greater threat, abandons Stan to attack this new intruder. The bear simply throws him aside like an old rag doll and lumbers on after his prey.

Stan reaches the fence bordering the back end of the yard and manages to leap this one as well. He sprints across another lawn, hoping that there are no guard dogs this time. He reaches the street and heads left just as he hears the splintering of wood. The bear apparently doesn't mind how many barriers he has to knock down as long as he gets his breakfast. Stan knows he's still at least four blocks from the safety of his own house and this monster is gaining on him fast.

"Gotta…keep….on…" he pants. "Can't….stop…."

He rounds another corner, looking over his shoulder to keep an eye on the bear. It is because of this lapse of judgment that he fails to see someone running in the opposite direction. This person is just as panicked as he is, and is also looking over his shoulder at something. Neither of them notice each other until they crash into each other and crumble to the ground.

"God…damn it!" Stan pants, trying to get to his feet.

"Fuck!" moans the stranger.

Stan looks back, expecting to see the bear closing the gap, but to his surprise the beast is actually _walking away_! He turns to the other man with a glare.

"I could have been eaten because of you!" he shouts.

"_You _could have been eaten?" the stranger screams back before shooting a glance over his own shoulder. Stan follows his gaze to see a similar bear lumbering away from them.

_What's up with these fucking bears today? _He thinks.

"Guess they think eating us will lower their intelligence or something," Stan says humorlessly. He rises, then reaches out a hand to help the stranger to his feet, which the man hesitantly accepts.

"Yeah, I guess," the man says, "Thanks."

Stan doesn't respond. He's looking down at his hand with a confused expression on his face. There was something very familiar in that touch. He doesn't know why, but he could almost swear he's met this person somewhere before.

"Name's Stan," he says, looking up.

"Stan?" the stranger asks. "I…know that name."

"Well, what's yours?"

"Kyle."

To say that Stan is shocked would be an understatement. He actually leaps a foot backwards and his mouth falls open. When Stan composes himself, he looks into his old friend's face for the first time in a decade. When their eyes meet, something clicks within both of their minds and they begin to remember things they had long since forgotten.

"It's been a long time," he says with a smile.

"Y-yeah," Kyle responds, smiling back, "it has."

* * *

Stan calls into work, figuring that if getting chased by a bear isn't a good reason to take a day off, nothing is. He then meets Kyle at the café, where they spend hours chatting and telling stories from the old days.

"Remember that time Cartman molested Butters in his sleep and took a picture?" Kyle asks, laughing.

"Yeah," Stan replies, laughing at the memory. "That was pretty fucked up."

"Good times," Kyle says, smiling.

Stan looks down into his half-full coffee cup with a frown. There's still a lot of things he can't remember, but one in particular is bugging the piss out of him.

"Hey Kyle," he says slowly.

"Mmm?" his friend replies over his own cup.

"Wh-why did we stop being friends?"

Kyle suddenly looks very unhappy. Apparently, the question has hit some kind of nerve in him. He puts down his coffee and closes his eyes, as if in pain.

"I…don't know if I should…" he stutters. "I don't know if it's right to talk about it right now."

"But you remember?"

"Oh, yes," he says, and there is a touch of bitterness in his voice that takes Stan by surprise. He opens his eyes and they are like daggers of fire. "I remember very well."

"Well, I wouldn't have brought it up," Stan replies, "but I can't remember no matter how hard I try, and I don't know why."

What Kyle says next unnerves him, because on some subconscious level, he knows it's the absolute and unadulterated truth.

"You can't remember because you don't want to."**  
**

* * *

**Aaah, another chapter put astern. Interesting, no? I told you it wasn't the end for them! This story is just getting started….**


	6. Deja Vu

**A Note From Ben: You guys totally deserved this chapter yesterday, but a bad case of writer's block as well as some personal issues prevented it. You gave me **_**so **_**much feedback and I really appreciate it. It's nice to know you guys like my writing.**

* * *

**Chapter Six – Deja Vu**

Several months go by and to Stan and Kyle it's just like old times. They have one of those special relationships that are very rare but very precious, in which two people can be separated for years and just pick up where they left off. Within no time at all, they are practically connected at the hip. They do everything together, just like they did when they were eight-years old. Stan even leaves his job at Shakey's when Kyle gets his dad to hire him on as a mail room clerk as his firm.

Today, they are walking side-by-side town the sidewalk, their hands just inches apart, laughing and joking. Kyle glances over at his dark-haired friend and a surge of emotion wells up within him. He has once again fallen for Stan, and this time he has fallen hard. Stan, sensing his stare, looks back.

"What?" he asks with good humor.

"Oh, nothing," Kyle says, looking quickly down at his feet, feeling his cheeks redden slightly.

Stan looks at him for a few more seconds, feeling that this whole scenario is very familiar. Why the hell does he feel this peculiar sense of déjà vu? He looks away before the stare becomes awkward and decides that he's probably just imagining things.

"You know, Kyle," he says, looking straight ahead, "you never told me why you're still in South Park. You had the best grades in our class, so why aren't you in college?"

Kyle looks at Stan, glad for the change of subject.

"I had a feeling this question would come up eventually," he says.

"Yeah," Stan says, "I guess we've been having so much fun that we just never bothered."

"Well," Kyle explains, "I _could _have gone to any college I wanted to, could have _been _anything I wanted to, but I just….I dunno. I just felt like there was something here I had to finish first, so I didn't. My mother had a fit when I told her I wasn't going to college right after high school, but she calmed down a little when dad offered me a filing job."

"Did you ever figure out what it was that you needed to finish?"

"Yeah," Kyle says, looking him directly in the eyes. "I did."

Something in his friend's tone tells Stan that asking _what _that unfinished business was would be pointless. There's so much that Kyle refuses to tell him, insisting that his memories will answer his questions in time. This is especially frustrating for him, because one thing he _does _remember is that he and Kyle _never _kept secrets from each other like this.

_That isn't true,_ a voice within him pipes up, _because there was _one _secret you kept from each other. It's the reason you stopped being friends._

_But what was it? _He demands. _If that's true, then tell me what the hell it was!_

His inner self doesn't respond.

* * *

Stan lays in bed that night, staring angrily at the ceiling. This isn't fair! Why does Kyle get to remember so much while he doesn't? 

_You can't remember because you don't want to._

He thinks over Kyle's words from what seems like an eternity ago. That was months ago and things have changed. He _does _want to remember; he wants to remember so badly it hurts! It's like having a case of amnesia or something.

He looks over at the clock and sees 3:45 on the digital display. That means he has two hours and fifteen minutes left before he has to get up, and he hasn't slept a wink. Frustrated, he kicks the blankets off and rolls out of bed, deciding right away that there's no point in trying now; if he falls asleep there's no way he's going to be able to wake up in time to go to work.

He throws on some clothes, grabs his trench coat, and leaves the house. He figures that a long walk might be just the thing to clear his head of all this nonsense. He closes the door quietly behind him to ensure that his departure is as quiet as possible, and then heads off down the street, not sure where he's heading nor caring in the least.

The early morning is especially chilly, but he doesn't mind; he figures that weather this cold will discourage hungry bears from coming out. He lights a cigarette and puffs on it as he walks, exhaling the smoke through his nose.

_Kyle hates this, _Stan thinks, a slight smile creeping across his face. _God, he hates it with a passion._

* * *

_"You know those things will make you impotent," Kyle says, glaring at Stan and covering his nose with his shirt. "They'll make you impotent and they'll kill you."_

_Stan doesn't reply to the comment. Instead, he just gives him a "Who gives a fuck" look and blows smoke rings at him. Kyle refuses to say anything to him for over an hour. He is only able to get his best friend to stop being mad by doing his best Cartman impression._

_"Ay!" he bellows. "I'm Cartman and I'm a big, fat asshole with a big, fat ass!"_

_Kyle laughs until tears run down his face. He claps Stan affectionately on the back and tells him his impression may be dead-on, but he's still a jackass. It is in this moment, as they laugh and rip on each other, that Stan feels something change inside him. He feels…different about Kyle somehow. He knows that he has never cared for him more, but it's more than that. It's almost as if…._

* * *

"No!" he cries out loud. "I do _not _love Kyle like that!" 

Yet that feeling of déjà vu has returned, which he finds very unsettling. Why does all of this seem so familiar to him? Is this somehow connected to the secrets that Kyle keeps?

He looks around when he finds himself at Stark's Pond. Somehow, he has come here without even thinking about it. He checks his watch, sees that he has over two hours to kill, and decides to go down to the hollow log and sit for awhile; at the very least, this will be a good place to sit and ponder. However, as he walks down toward the water, he notices someone else already sitting there.

"Hello?" he calls. He sees the person jump in surprise and turn quickly around, but it is too dark to make out any details.

"Who's there?" a familiar voice demands.

"Kyle?" Stan asks.

"Stan?"

Stan walks down and sits beside his friend on the old log. They don't look at each other right away. They both stare out at the dark water, trying to figure out what to say.

"I couldn't sleep," Stan says, still looking straight ahead.

"Me neither," comes the response.

"I've been feeling kind of funny lately," he says, "with all the awkward silence, the quick glances…and even a few strange feelings. I feel…like we've done this before."

"Mmm-hmmm."

"I think it has something to do with why we stopped being friends."

"It does."

Stan finally looks over at his friend and sees that he is looking back at him. They do not smile at each other or show any other sign of affection. They just stare at each other for a moment or two, then turn away and continue staring at the lake.

"I _want _to remember now, Kyle," he says, "I don't want to block this out anymore."

To his surprise, Kyle actually chuckles at this, but does not tear his gaze away from the water.

"I believe you, Stan," he says, "and you will. You're so close now, and that's what scares me so bad."

"Why? Why does that scare you?"

"Because," Kyle says, finally looking back at him, "when you remember, it's going to hurt you. We stopped being friends because there was _something _you didn't want. When your memory finally clicks, you're going to know what that _something _was, and you're not going to like it."

Stan looks into Kyle's eyes, which were so warm and comforting. He feels he could get lost in them, they are so beautiful. He smiles lovingly, and feels a rush of happiness when Kyle returns it. God, could things get any better?

"I don't think…" he stutters, "I don't know…I…"

These feelings he's having are so wrong! He can't really feel _this _way about Kyle, can he? How can he call himself straight when he's sitting here looking into his best friend's eyes and feeling very attracted to him?

"Eloquent in the mornings, aren't you?" Kyle softly kids him, not breaking the gaze.

_Say something, idiot! _Stan's inner voice screams at him. _Don't just stare at him!_

_Oh, my God! _He thinks to himself. _I _am _gay, and I'm gay for _Kyle

_Is it really a surprise? _The voice responds. _How many of those girls asked you to sleep with them? How _many?

He and Kyle have somehow gotten closer to each other during this whole thing, so close, in fact, that under normal circumstances it would have been awkward. They have unknowingly moved toward each other on the log and now they are quite literally hip-to-hip. On top of that, their faces are slowly coming together but neither are making a move to stop it.

"Kyle," he says in a whisper before their lips softly connect. Their arms slowly wrap around each other.

In that moment, Stan's mind finally clicks. He suddenly remembers everything and it comes back in a rush like a mighty wind.

_We're Super Best Friends, right? Just because Kenny thinks we'd be cute as a gay couple doesn't mean anything. If anything, it means he's got serious issues and needs to be checked out. I wouldn't take him seriously._

_You've gotta get over this I'm-not-gay-with-Kyle thing. You're so touchy about it that it's almost stupid of you not to see that you _are!

_I didn't mean for you to find out this way. I was planning on telling you…one day._

_We just need to get away from each other….until….these feelings go away…._

He pulls away and looks at Kyle in shock.

"Oh, my God," Stan says.

Kyle gives him a smile and nods.

"Now you remember."

* * *

**All right, this one's finished. I hope you like it, because it took me a **_**really **_**long time to get it down. Till next time…**


	7. Carry On, My Wayward Son

**A Note From Ben: Sorry if I gave any of you the idea that this story was finished. Perhaps I should have been more clear. This story is _not _finished yet. **

* * *

**Disclaimer: In case you missed it when I said it in the first chapter, I don't own South Park or any other works under copyright used within. That means I don't own **_**Wayward Son **_**by Kansas, either.**

* * *

**Chapter Seven – Carry On, My Wayward Son**

Stan jumps up from the log like it's on fire and begins to back away, a look of terror in his eyes.

"Oh God, no!" he cries. "Oh, Jesus, what have I done?"

"Stan, calm down," Kyle tells him, rising and holding up his hands, "it's gonna be okay."

"No!" he says. "It's not gonna be okay, Kyle! We knew _years _ago not to do this! I've ruined everything!"

He turns on his heel and runs off. Kyle watches helplessly as he sprints away, his trench coat billowing behind him. He shakes his head in frustration, hating the stupidity of it all. He _knew _that when Stan remembered, it was going to be hard, but he had never expected a reaction like that one.

"Shit!" he cries. "_Shit!_"

He storms off, angry at himself, angry at the world for making it so hard for people like them, and angry at…no, he wasn't angry at Stan, no matter how much he wanted to be. This was _not _Stan's fault. If he had just stopped the kiss before it had happened, he _might _have been able to jog Stan's memory gently. Now, that could never be. Sure, he had enjoyed it more than words can express, but it wasn't worth _this_!

He walks into his house and tells his father that neither he nor Stan will be coming in today due to personal reasons. Gerald, though confused, senses his son's anger and agrees to let them slide for the day. He figures that something incredibly bad must have happened, because Kyle very rarely missed work.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" he asks.

"Not unless you can change society," Kyle snarls before stomping out of the kitchen and up to his room.

He locks the door, turns his radio on, and throws himself face-down on the bed. He allows his tears to flow freely here, in the one place where he can be himself. He's so _tired _of trying and failing. He gave up the best friend he's ever had for _ten years _so that his friend could go on and live a normal, heterosexual life, and what had it gotten them? It got them _right back where they started from!_

All he wants to do is find the guy who made up these stupid rules and tear him to pieces. Why do guys _have _to be with girls? What's wrong with a guy/guy pairing if they really love each other the way he and Stan do?

_It's all because of the way things are that Stan's the way _he _is, _Kyle thinks bitterly. _If we didn't have it drilled into us from the cradle that homos go to hell, he might not be so afraid of being with me._

He feels drowsy from his lack of sleep, yet he is too angry and hurt right now to doze off.

* * *

Stan runs into his house without a word to anyone and up to his room. He slams the door closed and, like Kyle, turns on his radio and throws himself onto his bed. He feels confused, angry, hurt, and scared all at the same time. Why did this happen to him? Why did he fall for Kyle _again?_

_I spent years trying to forget this, _he thinks angrily, _and what did it get me? One kiss, and it's all ruined!_

_But you enjoyed it, _his inner voice tells him.

_Of course I enjoyed it, asswipe, _he replies, _it was _incredible!

_Then why do you suddenly have so much sand in your vagina?_

His inner voice was suddenly sounding a great deal like Cartman, but on some level it made sense. He _had _enjoyed holding Kyle in that intimate moment and kissing him passionately, as if it was the last kiss either of them would ever know. He had felt himself turn to jelly at the touch of his friend's lips, each of which tasted like sweet nectar from the gods.

"God, I hate this!" he cries. "I _want _to but I _don't _want to! I just want to be Stan. _Straight _Stan, God damn it!"

He begins punching his pillow, taking all of his frustrations on it. He punches harder and faster with each swing of his fist. His entire world has gone into a red haze and he's going to hit _something_, even if it doesn't help. He doesn't even realize he is screaming until his mother starts banging on the door, demanding to know what the hell is going on.

* * *

At the same time, Kyle is glaring up at the ceiling, tears still streaming from his eyes, wishing every homophobic asshole on the planet would just drop dead. He barely notices the music playing. To him, it's just background noise adding fuel to an already intense fire within him. 

There is a soft rapping on the door, followed by Sheila's voice asking him if he is okay. He turns his head slowly and faces the door, not really seeing it at all.

"I just want to be left alone," he says.

No further sound comes from the other side, so he assumes she is respecting his wishes, for once, and leaving him in peace. He looks back toward the ceiling and lets his mind wander away. He never notices that an hour goes by, or that he is hungry. All he wants to do is lay here and try to block everyone and everything out.

_**Carry on my wayward son  
There'll be peace when you are done  
Lay your weary head to rest  
Don't you cry no more**_

He looks up when the song _Wayward Son_ starts to play, but only because the lyrics infuriate him so. Don't cry? How dare they suggest that he stop crying and rest? What the hell do they know anyway?

"Fuck that," he says. "They don't know shit."

* * *

Stan sits angrily on the side of his bed and, by one of those coincidences that happen only in love stories or when the Powers That Be feel especially generous, is listening to the exact same song. He is also angered by the lyrics and wants desperately to chunk the fucking radio out the window. 

_Sons of bitches, _he thinks bitterly. _They don't know half of what I've been through._

His mind travels back to when they were kids. How close they had been in those days! They had been damn near inseparable, with the exception of a few fights here and there. Kids will be kids, though, and kids fight. He laughs out loud when he thinks over the prehistoric ice man and how silly that squabble had been.

_His name is Gorak!_

_His name is Steve!_

What the hell had happened to them? When did their Super Best Friendship become more than that and, more importantly, why? Was it because they had saved each other's lives so many times? Was it because they had no problem showering together or sleeping in the same bed as kids?

_**Once I rose above the noise and confusion  
Just to get a glimpse beyond this illusion  
I was soaring ever higher  
But I flew too high**_

Kyle wipes his eyes and sits up. This is complete and utter bullshit! The only thing he wants is Stan. If he never has another dime to his name, it would be fine with him as long as he has Stan to hold him. What's so wrong with that?

He thinks about the last few months of his life. It all started with those God damn bears causing them to run face-first into each other. The first few days were awkward, he can admit that; he remembered everything and Stan remembered so little. He had to watch everything he said and dodge carefully formed questions designed to trick him into giving something away. After awhile, he had actually thought it quite cute. His friend was like a child trying to trick a parent into revealing the secret location of a birthday present.

_He was always hard to resist, _Kyle thinks with a smile, _especially when he gave me those puppy dog eyes. So cute!_

He feels warm inside when he thinks about this. His happiness doesn't last long, however, for he soon remembers that the only reason things went sour is because he got too bold.

_Shouldn't have kissed him, _he scolds himself bitterly, _should have stopped it._

_**Though my eyes could see I still was a blind man  
Though my mind could think I still was a mad man  
I hear the voices when I'm dreaming  
I can hear them say**_

Stan is pacing the floor now, more upset than ever. This is entirely his fault and he knows it. He never should have blocked out the truth. Had he remembered it, he would have been more prepared and could have handled the situation more appropriately. He wouldn't have kissed Kyle at all if he had been more aware of the circumstances behind their childhood falling-out. Now, because of his own stupidity, things have been completely destroyed!

The only thing he can do now is leave this town behind him. Yeah, that's it; he'll take his meager life savings and just start over somewhere else! He'll go somewhere completely random where nobody will ever find him and he'll never have to worry about ruining Kyle's life again.

_**Carry on my wayward son  
There'll be peace when you are done  
Lay your weary head to rest  
Don't you cry no more**_

Kyle is fed up. He's tired of crying and hurting, and, more importantly, he's tired of Stan crying and hurting _because of him_. How many times have his own selfish desires caused his Stan this kind of turmoil?

_No, not _my _Stan, _he thinks with a heavy heart, _he'll never be _my _Stan._

He shakes his head in disgust and decides in that moment that the only logical action is to leave South Park forever. He'll do as his mother wants and go off to some college he could give a rat's ass about. He'll spend all his time there and when he graduates, he'll start a new life far, far away. That way, Stan can live his life here in peace, without him.

"He'll get some girl like Wendy," he snarls bitterly, "and settle into a happy heterosexual life. Well, I don't know how happy it'll be with Wendy, but he'll never have to remember _me_ again. I know why I stayed in this town now. There's no reason for me to stay any longer."

With that, he pulls a big suitcase out of the closet and begins packing.

_**Masquerading as a man with a reason  
My charade is the event of the season  
And if I claim to be a wise man, well  
It surely means that I don't know**_

Stanis pulling his own suitcase out when his conscience gets the better of him. He knows he acted like a dick this morning and Kyle will probably never want to speak to him again, but he still deserves the truth this time. No more lies, no more masquerades. This time, he's going to be up front and honest with him.

He picks up the phone and dials Kyle's phone number. It rings once, twice, three times, before Kyle's unhappy voice comes on the line.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Kyle," he says in a flat monotone.

"Stan?" comes a shocked reply. "Dude, you're the last person I expected to call me today…err, are you listening to this song, too?"

_**On a stormy sea of moving emotion  
Tossed about I'm like a ship on the ocean  
I set a course for winds of fortune  
But I hear the voices say**_

"Yeah," Kyle hears, "listen I'm really not in the mood to talk. I just wanted to let you know that I'm leaving South Park."

What the fuck? He couldn't have heard that right, because it sounded like Stan telling him he was moving away. Leaving town was _his _idea!

"Dude," Kyle says, upset, "_why_ are you leaving? It's not because of me, is it? Because I'd…"

"No, dude."

Kyle's head is beginning to hurt. This whole emotional rollercoaster has been hell on him, and he's at the breaking point. He can tell that Stan is lying to him. He _is _leaving because of him and that hurts more than anything else. He had never wanted to drive his best friend away. If he had known it would come to this, he would have left things the way they were.

_I had a choice that first day to meet him at the café, _he thinks angrily. _I could have just declined and walked out of his life forever. What have I done?_

_**Carry on my wayward son  
There'll be peace when you are done  
Lay your weary head to rest  
Don't you cry no more  
No!**_

Stan isn't sure what's going on, but Kyle has suddenly fallen silent. Oh God, has he made this situation even _worse_? How big a fuck up is he anyway?

"Kyle?" he probes, hoping for some kind of response. "You there?"

"Yeah, sorry, " he hears. He breathes a sigh of relief. "Just got lost in my thoughts there for a second. So where will you go?"

Stan actually hasn't given _this _part of his plan any thought at all. Where _will _he go? He has a basic high school education, no specialized training, a work history consisting of paper routes and fast food, and just a little over $1500 in savings. Starting anywhere with such limitations is hard. Still, he knows if he can just get out there on the road, the answer will come to him.

"Sorry, I can't tell you," he says, "I don't want you coming after me."

"God damn it, Stan…"

"Good-bye, Kyle. I…I love you."

And with that, he hangs up the phone.

_**Carry on, you will always remember  
Carry on, nothing equals the splendor  
The center lights around your vanity  
But surely heaven waits for you**_

Kyle's heart soars at these words. Stan had actually told him he loved him! He has never told him that before, at least not directly like that. On the day of what Kyle now thinks of as "The Ten-Year Good-bye", he had said "Yeah" when he had been asked. This is different, though! This is an actual confession! Well, if he thinks he's going to walk out of Kyle's life again after that, he's sadly mistaken. Nobody who says that they love Kyle Brovlofski gets to run away like a coward.

"I love you, too, Stan," he says. He grabs his car keys and his cell phone before he runs out of the house, determined to stop history from repeating itself.

_**Carry on my wayward son  
There'll be peace when you are done  
Lay your weary head to rest  
Don't you cry (don't you cry no more)**_

* * *

**Cliffhanger! Cliffhanger! Bwa haw haw! Will Kyle get to Stan in time? Will Stan finally get over his issues? Will they ever have a happy ending? Only time will tell…**


	8. Manhunt

**A Note From Ben: Here's to over 1000 hits on this story! Thanks everybody!****  
**

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**Chapter Eight - Manhunt**

Stan hangs up the phone and immediately begins throwing everything of value he can lay his hands on into his suitcase. He knows that Kyle is going to try and stop him and he can't let that happen. God knows what could happen if he stays here much longer.

_One more kiss, _he thinks anxiously, _one more touch and I'm done for. I can't let that happen._

He slams the suitcase shut and tears out of the room. He can't even stop to tell him parents good-bye, because they'd want to sit and talk about it and get a full explanation out of him, and he has no time for that. No, he has to go as quickly as possible and disappear into thin air. That's the only way to fix all of this, right? If he walks out of Kyle's life again, things will go back to the way they were.

He jumps into his car and is about to fire it up when he stops. License plates can be traced, as can vehicle VIN numbers. If he takes his car, he will be compromising his location and he can't take the chance of anyone from this town showing up in…

"Where am I going anyway?" he wonders out loud before getting out of the car and slamming the door shut. "Where am I going and how am I going to get there?"

The train station? No, that's too predictable; it'll be the first place that people check. He also decides against flying, since his last experience with "Shitty Airlines" resulted in a plane crash. He finally decides that it will have to be the bus, and that's on the main street, where everyone in town will surely see him walking with a suitcase.

"Fuck," he says, setting off toward the terminal with a quick stride.

* * *

Kyle arrives at the Marsh residence shortly after Stan walks around a corner and out of sight. He beats on the door as hard as he can, hoping he's not too late. The car in the driveway might have fooled some people, but not Kyle; Stan would have left it here so it couldn't be traced. The door is opened a moment later by a worried-looking Sharon Marsh, who, at first sight of him, pulls him quickly into the house.

"Kyle!" she demands. "Do you know where Stan is going with that suitcase?"

"He's _gone _already?" Kyle cries. "No!"

"So you know something about this?"

Kyle closes his eyes tightly and pinches the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. If he ever finds Stan, he's going to kill him for skipping town without even telling his own mother. Sure, he was probably in a hurry, but this is his _mother_. There's simply no excuse for that kind of inconsiderate behavior.

"Yes, Mrs. Marsh, I know a little about it," he says slowly, "he called me and told me he was going to leave town, but wouldn't tell me where he's going. I came over here to try and stop him, but…"

Sharon nods in understanding when Kyle stops speaking. She reaches for her purse sitting on the side table and grabs her car keys.

"Let's go."

Within minutes, they are speeding through South Park, cutting off traffic and breaking practically every law of the road ever written. As they zoom down road after road, keeping a look out for any sign of Stan, Kyle briefs Sharon on the past ten years and the circumstances that led up to Stan's sudden departure.

"…so he came down to Stark's Pond, too, without even realizing I was there."

"And?" Sharon asks.

"We had a talk about everything and then….then we…kinda….kissed."

She slams on the brakes so suddenly that, had Kyle not been wearing a seat belt, he most likely would have been thrown through the windshield. He looks over anxiously at her and sees her looking at him with an angry expression on her face.

"Let me see if I've got this right," she says, "you _kissed_? You just put your mouths together and _kissed_?"

Kyle closes his eyes, puts his head down, and nods. He knows she has every right to be angry with him. After all, isn't it his fault that Stan was skipping town like a criminal? To his surprise, he feels her arms wrap around him and opens his eyes. She's hugging him, actually _hugging _him. He puts his arms around her and hugs her back.

"It's not your fault, Kyle," she says, "don't you _ever _blame yourself for this."

"So, you're not mad at me?" he asks.

"No, Kyle," she responds, pulling away, "just angry that he's running away over something like this. He needs to open his eyes and see how foolish he's being. He loves you so much that he's trying to protect you from himself, and in doing so is defeating his own purpose."

"I don't understand…"

"He doesn't trust himself not to hurt you," she says, "and so to make sure he doesn't hurt you, he's trying to leave you behind, which will end up hurting you anyway."

"How do you know all this?"

"I'm his mother. I know my son better than anyone."

With that, she hits the gas and they're off again.

* * *

Kenny McCormick is sitting in his car behind a large billboard, reading a magazine entitled _Sexy Sluts Having Slutty Sex_. His feet are propped up on the dashboard and he is enjoying himself immensely when someone zooms by him at over sixty miles per hour, easy.

"What the hell?" he says, confused.

He casts the magazine to the side and sits up in the seat before revving up his patrol car and taking off after the offending vehicle, sirens blaring. True to Cartman's prediction, Kenny did indeed become a cop. Sure he was a traffic cop and he spent his entire day hiding out behind trees and signs waiting for someone to break the law, but he was a _cop_. He was a damn good one, too, and he knew it.

He briefly considers calling in for backup or maybe even a roadblock. These people were in a very big hurry, and that meant that they were most likely carrying drugs and weapons, or quite possibly hookers. Hell, they might be carrying drugs, weapons, _and _hookers!

"Woo hoo!" he screams, pushing the gas pedal further to the floor. Nobody's going to get those hookers until _he _gets a turn.

* * *

The sirens and flashing blue lights can only mean one thing: they've gone so fast they've attracted the attention of law enforcement.

"God damn it!" Kyle screams, punching the dashboard. "We don't have _time _for this shit!"

"Just let me handle this," Sharon says, pulling off to the side and pulling out her driver's license and registration.

The officer gets out of his car and walks slowly toward them. Kyle watches him in the rear view mirror and can't help but feel that he looks very familiar, as though he's met this particular cop before. Of course, this is South Park so everyone knows everyone else anyway.

"Do you know why I pulled you over?" the officer asks when he reaches the driver's side window.

Kyle gets a good look at the name tag on his uniform and immediately recognizes "K. McCormick".

"Kenny!" he cries, amazed and relieved all at the same time. Perhaps this wouldn't be as bad as they thought. "Kenny, it's me, Kyle!"

To say that Kenny is shocked would be putting it mildly. After Stan and Kyle stopped being friends, he and Cartman had been forced to go off and form their own social groups as well. Nothing is worse that trying to be friends to two people who are avoiding each other, so they hadn't bothered. Kenny started spending more time with Butters and Clyde, and Cartman made so many enemies in those years that his mother had moved them both to Greeley in an attempt to start over.

Kenny remembers a lot about Kyle, and knows that he wouldn't intentionally tear through town and endanger the lives of others unless there was a really good reason.

"Why are you two being so reckless?" he asks.

"Well," Sharon replies, "it's a very long story."

"I've got time."

"Kenny," Kyle says desperately, "Stan's gonna run. He's trying to leave town and disappear. We have to find him! Please, Kenny…I…can't lose him again."

Kenny suddenly understands everything perfectly. No matter how hard Stan and Kyle had tried over the years to avoid each other, fate had apparently intervened. Something had happened, most likely an awakening of the old feelings between them, and Stan was running away to make sure it didn't happen again.

"I can help you," he says with a smile, "but let's take my car, instead."

* * *

Stan is tired. He's been dodging around town all day, trying to avoid Kyle and his mother, who have been driving like maniacs. They almost caught him a time or two, but they were driving so fast that he heard them coming and managed to hide before they got close enough to see him. The whole thing has taken it's toll on him, and he's glad when he _finally _walks into the bus station and leaves the streets behind him.

"Help you?" a girl at the counter asks when he approaches.

"I need a bus ticket," he replies.

"Destination, departure date, and time please," she says. The flat monotone with which she speaks says a lot about how much she hates her job and the people she has to deal with on a daily basis.

"Uuuuh….well I'd like to leave today," Stan answers, "as soon as possible."

"To where?"

"Iowa," he says, blurting out the first thing that comes to mind.

"City?"

"I don't care," he says, "just pick a city."

"Specify a final destination please."

"God damn it!"

"Specify a…."

"All right, all right!" he screams. "Des Moines, then. Just send me to Des Moines."

She gives him a cold and unfriendly look before printing out his ticket. He returns her gaze as he forks over a big wad of cash, letting her know without saying a word that he thinks she's quite the bitch.

* * *

"Let's think about this logically," Kenny says as they speed through town. "He wouldn't take the train, right?"

"No," Kyle says from the back of the car, "because he knows we'd look there first."

"Well that only leaves two options," Sharon chimes in, "flying or taking the bus."

"He hates flying," Kyle replies.

"Then he's at the bus station," Kenny concludes, flooring the accelerator and turning toward the main street.

They zoom up to the terminal and slam on the brakes. Kenny jumps out and opens Kyle's door for him, as the back doors of police cars do not open from the inside. Kyle jumps out and runs into the station, followed closely by Sharon and Kenny.

"Stan?" he cries. "Stan, where are you?"

He casts his eyes around the sitting area, but doesn't see him. He's feeling panic begin to set in, and this is not a good time lose control. He has to find Stan before it's too late! He runs into the arcade, then the diner, the gift shop, and the bathrooms, but his friend was nowhere to be seen.

"Excuse me," he pants as he finally stops at the ticket counter, "I'm looking for someone."

"We're not allowed to breach customer confidentiality," the girl at the computer tells him in a dull and uncaring voice.

"But…but this is important!" Kyle cries.

"Customer privacy and safety cannot be compromised," she drones on, "and I'll get fired if I tell you."

Kyle rolls his eyes with a sigh and pulls out his wallet.

"How's fifty bucks sound?"

"Who are you looking for?"

Kyle pulls out a photo of Stan and hands it to her, along with a crisp fifty-dollar bill. She looks at it for a second before handing it back and sliding the money cautiously out of sight.

"Bought a ticket to Iowa," she says. "Bus left ten minutes ago."

* * *

**And here we must stop for now. This story is beginning to reach its end. Just another couple of chapters and we're done.**


	9. Happily Ever After Now And Then

**A Note From Ben: Because you have all been so kind and have viewed this story more than 1000 times, I'm giving you a treat today. Here is the next to last chapter, sooner than you expected.  
**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I may as well say it. I don't own the song **_**Happily Ever After (Now and Then) **_**by Jimmy Buffett.  
**

* * *

**Chapter Nine – Happily Ever After (Now and Then)**

Kyle felt as though he were going to faint. After all he has been through, he has still failed; Stan is gone. He puts one hand on the counter to support himself and the other against his head. He squeezes his eyes shut tightly and tries to regain his composure and focus.

"Think, Kyle," he tells himself, "just think things through."

"Hey, are you okay?" Kenny asks, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah," Kyle replies, "just…felt a little sick, that's all."

"Well, you're going to go after him, right?" Sharon asks.

He turns to look at her, unable to believe his ears. Go after him? Was she honestly suggesting he chase a _bus _down the highway?

"You can't be serious," he says.

"I _am _serious," she shoots back. "You love him, don't you?"

"Y-yeah," he says, rather surprised at the question, "I do love him. I love him more than anything."

She places her own hand on his shoulder and leans in toward him.

"Then go after him," she says softly, "because the ones you love are always worth fighting for."

* * *

Stan sits on the bus, staring sadly out the window. He knows that what he is doing is wrong, but at the same time it is the only solution that he can think of. Nothing else has worked. He feels badly for leaving Kyle behind with nothing more than a two minute phone call and knows that his best friend deserved so much more than that. 

He wipes his eyes and shakes his head to clear his thoughts. He doesn't want to think about this anymore! He just wants to forget again and go back to the way things were.

"Something bothering you, stranger?" a voice asks, taking him by surprise.

He turns to look and sees a man sitting next to him wearing a cowboy hat, flannel shirt, and rather tight-looking faded blue jeans.

_Huh, _he thinks, _it's a stereotypical cowboy. Right down to the Fu Manchu moustache._

"Nothing I wanna talk about," Stan says politely.

"Sometimes talking about a problem you don't want to talk about really helps," the man insists.

Well, one thing this guy had going for him, he was definitely persistent. He briefly considers telling him to mind his own fucking business, but catches himself when he sees the genuinely warm smile on the man's face and the kindness in his eyes.

"Okay," Stan says, smiling back, "I guess I do need to vent a little."

So he begins telling a complete stranger about his problems with Kyle. He starts with his realization of his feelings at the tender age of nine and works up to what landed him on the bus in the first place. Through it all, the strange man never says a word, but stares at him intensely. When he finishes, the cowboy nods and turns away, scratching his chin.

"Sounds to me like you really care about Kyle," he says.

"I do," Stan replies, nodding, "more than anything."

"Then what are you doing on this bus?"

"I told you already…" Stan objects.

"No, no," the man counters. "You see, this is why it's good to talk things over with people; sometimes a third party can see things better than those involved in something. _Your _problem is that you're afraid you're going to hurt him."

Stan is speechless. He has never heard it put like that, but it makes perfect sense. All of his confusion over Kyle has been because he cares so much for him that he doesn't want to make him hurt. _That's _why he prayed for God to make his homosexual feelings for his friend to go away. _That's _why he chose to forget everything and distance himself from Kyle, even though they had agreed that their separation be very short-term. It's the reason for everything, and he can see it now.

"Oh, my God," he says.

"Yes," the cowboy says, "it's a hard thing I know, but you've gotta realize what you're doing. By trying _not _to hurt Kyle, you're hurting him just the same."

Stan nods in response to this, but says nothing.

"Go back to him, Stan."

"But what if I hurt him?" Stan cries, feeling his composure slipping away. "What if I break his heart?"

"The only way you'll break his heart is if you stay on this bus," the stranger says, staring him in the eyes. "Go home, Stan."

Something hits him deep inside at that moment, but he isn't quite sure what it is. He feels differently about things. He suddenly experiences peace about his feelings for Kyle for the first time in his life.

"Who are you?" he asks the stranger, suddenly curious about why he never saw this man on the bus when he boarded.

"Me?" the man replies with the kindest smile Stan has ever seen. "I'm just a travelin' man in a cowboy hat."

And with that, he puts his hat down over his eyes and falls asleep.

* * *

Kyle is beginning to give up hope. He has been traveling down the highway at a good ninety miles per hour for over twenty minutes. He knows that if he follows it for too much longer, the open spaces will disappear and he'll be on the outskirts of Denver, the first stop on the bus's route. He needs to get to it before it heads into the heavy traffic areas, where he'll have no chance of ever finding it. 

"Jesus, Kyle!" Kenny cries in the passenger seat, "can't you go just a _little _slower?"

"No, Kenny!"

He pushes the gas pedal of Sharon's car all the way to the floor, causing the vehicle to accelerate to over one hundred ten miles per hour, which was definitely bad for the engine. At this point, he could give a rat's ass about the fucking car blowing a piston or something, so long as it did it _after _he caught up with Stan. Once he had Stan in his arms, he'd be more than happy to pay for all damages

"There it is, Kyle," Sharon says from the back, pointing at a bus farther down the road. "You've closed the gap a good deal, now _slow down_!"

Kyle complies and drops the car to the legal speed of sixty. Now, at least, they have a chance of catching it before it entered traffic.

* * *

Stan sits quietly in thought, occasionally sneaking a glance at the sleeping cowboy beside him. Who was this man, and why did he seem to know the answers to all of Stan's biggest problems? He was, at the very least, very wise and Stan respects that. He knows that he'll never forget him, for he now knows what he must do and it's all because of his kindness. 

_I get off the bus at the next stop, _he thinks, _I cash in my ticket, buy another one, and go back to South Park._

He smiles and puts his head back, thinking over how big a fool he's been. Kyle is the greatest thing that's ever happened to him and he knows it.

"I'm going home, sir," he tells the sleeping man beside him. "Thank you."

The man doesn't respond, but Stan could swear he sees the faintest trace of a smile appear on his face.

HONK! HONK! HONK!

"What the hell?" he says, looking out the window.

HONK! HONK! HONK!

Somebody was driving along the side of the bus, blaring their horn like crazy.

"Crazy mothafucka!" he hears the driver scream.

HONK! HONK! HONK!

He gets a good look at the car as it speeds past to try and cut the bus off and realizes right away what's going on. It's his mother's car and _Kyle _is driving! His heart leaps and he jumps up and begins pounding on the window.

"Kyle!" he cries.

"Sit down, dickhead!" the driver shouts back at him.

Stan doesn't listen. He just wants to be with Kyle and there he was, out there trying to get to him!

HONK! HONK! HONK!

"Stick it in yo' ass, you crazy fucking bitch!" the driver bellows.

HONK! HONK! HONK!

"Hey, pull over," Stan suggests, "it'll make them stop honking."

"One mo' word out yo' crazy cracka ass and I'm gonna beat the livin' hell out 'choo!"

The cowboy is awake now and is looking highly amused at all of this. He stands up when he senses Stan's anxiety and Stan runs out into the aisle and up to the front of the bus. This does not amuse the angry bus operator at all. He slams on his brakes in anger and Stan flies forward and hits the windshield.

"Ow," he says when he lands on the floor.

The driver, in one swift motion, throws the door open, reaches down for Stan, and throws him off the bus into a ditch.

"An' don' let me catch yo' ass on any bus I drive no mo'!"

Stan rose slowly from the ground. He was bruised in several places, but not seriously hurt other than that. He looks around and sees his mother's car at a dead stop several yards down the road, backing up.

"Kyle!" he cries, running toward the car, a big smile on his face.

He meets up with the car within seconds and the door flies open. Kyle jumps out and they throw themselves into each other's arms.

"---you ever do that to me again—"

"—love you so much—"

"—so fucking crazy---"

"---never leave you again—"

They only break apart when they hear someone strumming a guitar somewhere close by. They look over and see the cowboy from the bus sitting on the trunk of Sharon's car, strumming and smiling at them.

"Thanks for the help," Stan says.

"Anytime," the cowboy replies.

As they go back to trying to suck each other's faces off, the man begins to sing.

_**I've been a stand-in, a stunt man, I've taken some falls  
Troubles,--I've had my share  
But one has to learn how to run before walkin' 'round  
Breathin' that million-air **_

_**Take it from me 'cause I found  
If you leave it then somebody else is bound  
To find that treasure, that moment of pleasure  
When yours it could have been**_

Kyle and Stan begin to dance by the side of the highway, completely oblivious to the jeers and insults that a few passing drivers shouted at them. They had earned this moment, and it was theirs to share.

_**Some people never find it; some only pretend  
But me, I just want to live happily ever after  
Every now and then**_

Stan looks deeply in Kyle's eyes and knows in that moment that they'll spend the rest of their lives together.

_**I've been in vans and in bands, on and through stages  
One thing I can conclude, one has to learn  
Havin' fun is just smilin' through  
Those changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes **_

_**Take it from me 'cause I found  
If you leave it then somebody else is bound  
To find that treasure, that moment of pleasure  
When yours it could have been**_

**"**I love you, Stan," Kyle says.

"I love you, too," Stan replies, "and I always have."

_**Some people never find it; some only pretend  
But me, I just want to live happily ever after  
Every now and then**_

The cowboy keeps playing but his singing stops, apparently at the song's bridge, or perhaps he is too happy to continue.

"Thanks again for everything," Stan says as they break up their dance and move toward the car. "We'll never forget you."

The cowboy nods at them and continues strumming. They smile at each other and climb into the vehicle.

"You need a ride to town or something?" Sharon asks, noticing that the bus has left without him.

"No, thank you," he says with a smile.

As they prepare to pull away, they hear him pick up the song again.

_**Some people never find it; some only pretend  
But me, hell, I just want to live happily ever after  
Every now and then  
Every now and then **_

Stan turns around in his seat to get one last look at him as they speed away, but the man is gone**  
**

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**Next chapter is the last one. See you soon!**


	10. Epilogue

**Chapter Ten - Epilogue**

_**One Year Later…**_

_Animal Friend and Loyal One return to the forest today and, the animals are pleased to see, they are holding hands and smiling. They walk together to the clearing where so many years ago they destroyed a device that they believed could predict the future. There, they lay down a blanket that Loyal One has been carrying under one arm and sit down upon it._

_"Happy first anniversary," Animal Friend says lovingly._

_"You say that like we're married," Loyal One replies with a smile._

_Animal Friend says nothing but begins pulling food items out of a basket and arranging them on the blanket. The smell of their feast is appealing to the animals, and they know that if they approach Animal Friend, he will gladly feed them. Still, they remain where they are, unseen; this is a special moment for the two of them._

_They sit and enjoy their meal, laughing and joking with each other. They tear through sandwiches, chips, sodas, and even cake. When they are finished, they lay back on the blanket with their arms around each other, staring up through the treetops._

_"Hey, Kyle," Animal Friend says after a few minutes of this._

_"Yes?"_

_"I love you…and I….I…"_

_"As eloquent as ever," Loyal One says with a slight smirk._

_Animal Friend sits up and puts his hand in the basket._

_"You said earlier that I said 'happy anniversary' like we're married," he continues nervously. He pulls a ring out and shows it to his beloved, who gasps in surprise. "What if we were?"_

_"Oh, my God!" Loyal One cries. "I will! I will!"_

_They throw their arms around each other and fall back onto the blanket, feeling each other and exploring each other's bodies. After a few moments of this, they begin to discard the clothes they wear in passion. It is at this point that the animals turn away. What the two humans do there in the clearing is not their business, so they give them their privacy. They have seen enough, however, to know that their slight meddling in the affairs of humans served its purpose; Animal Friend and his "Destined Mate" would now be together forever, the way it was always meant to be._

* * *

Kyle and Stan are married a short three months later, and nearly everyone in town shows up at Stark's Pond to watch. They even see people they haven't thought about in years, such as Big Gay Al and Mr. Slave.

"Oh, Jesus Christ," Slave says after the ceremony, "I'm so happy for you two."

"Thanks, Mr. Slave," Stan says, shaking his hand.

"This is just _super_!" Big Gay Al tells them. "I wish you both all the happiness in the world."

They thank them both once again and, after a bit more idle chit-chat, make their way around to speak with some of the other guests. One face suddenly catches Stan's eye, and he nudges Kyle and points. Near the road, leaning against a tree, is a man in a cowboy hat and plaid shirt. When he notices the couple staring at him, he tips his hat to them, but does not move.

"Stan, who is that man?" Kyle asks.

Stan smiles and looks at his husband.

"Just a travelin' man in a cowboy hat," he says.

A large group of giggling girls suddenly swarms in front of them, blocking their view of him. When they finally clear out, the man is nowhere to be seen.

"He…he disappeared again," Kyle says, shocked.

"Yeah," Stan replies, putting an arm over Kyle's shoulders, "but we'll see him again some day. Whenever we need him, he'll be there."

They turn and look into each other's eyes and smile. They kiss passionately, which causes a few people to jokingly suggest that they save it for the honeymoon. They break up and walk over to cut the cake, holding hands.

_**Fin**_

* * *

**Afterthoughts: Sorry if this one is so short, but there's only so much a person can do with an epilogue. I'm not going to tell you at this point who the cowboy is, only that you'll find out in time. I intend at this point to use him as a recurring character and gradually reveal his identity and background. Till then, my lips are sealed. Let the speculation begin. See you all down the road….**


End file.
